Under a Vampire Moon

In the 16th installment of her long-running Argeneau series (after The Reluctant Vampire), Sands lightly combines romance and humor. Carolyn Conner, a middle-aged advertising executive in the process of divorcing her abusive husband, is on vacation in St. Lucia, where she meets Christian Notte. The centuries-old vampire is immediately attracted to her as a potential mate. In order to circumvent Carolyn’s nervousness and soothe her fears about being attracted to a “younger” man, Christian pretends to be gay, enlisting her as his beard around his family (who are all in on the plan). Nothing can stop their blossoming relationship, save for Carolyn’s mysterious illness and possibly the truth about Christian. Sitcomesque hijinks ensue, courtesy of Christian’s eccentric kinfolk and the increasingly unwieldy scheme. However, the chemistry is genuine, the love scenes sizzle, and the resolution satisfies. Agent: Jenny Bent, the Bent Agency. (May)